Durable bonded mass, particularly briquettes, for use as metallurgical fluxes



United es Patent DURABLE BONDED MASS, PARTICULARLY BRI- James J. Bowden, Cortland, Ohio No Drawing. Application October 1 6, 19 58 Serial No. 767,508

4 Claims. 01. 75-53 QUETTES, FOR use AS METALLURGICAL UXES integration. This invention particularly relates to fluxing agents possessing the aforesaid qualities for use in the basic open hearth, and the electric and the oxygen processes for the-manufacture of steel and the cupola process for the manufacture of iron, which fluxing agents are characterized by the components found in the dross or waste product resulting from the melting ofaluminum in contact with air in the manufacture and processing of aluminum products.

While my fluxing agent is especially suitable for use in steel manufacturing operations, in general it is capable ofbeing used in other metallurgical operations, such as castingsmadein foundries in cupolas. My flux is a briquwe Aluminum dross powder as offered for sale'on the market in commercial lots-exists in such finely divided condition that in mechanical operations, such as bagging, shovelling or otherwise handling there resultsa troublesome dust which may menace the health of the operators, particularly ifmasks are not worn, anddefinitely-results in loss of the dross powder and an obnoxious deposition of the dross on surfaces in the buildings. Because of this physical property, when it is introduced into the charge in the formation of steel from pig iron andtother iron-containing components by the open hearth, and electric and oxygen steel processes and iron and steelfoundries cupolas and other processes employing an oxidizing gas the, force of air or oxygen employed in the. oxidation of'carbon, silicon, phosphorus, etc., therein,results in the formation of dust, There is the economic aspect in the loss because of this of an appreciable amount of aluminum dross in this operation, which loss is estimated at from,.5% to 20% "the weight of the dross itself. Furthermore, because of thefine subdivision in the aluminum dross, the, dusty 2,927,852 Patented Mar. 8, 1960 in this fluxing agent and whereas. the resulting briquette has good initial strength at room temperatures, the chemical reactions which retarded the briquetting process will, afterv an elapse of time, again go forward, forming hydro,- gen, methane and ammonia. The resulting expansion sLatters the briquettes and causes them to revert to the pulverulent state.

The search wherein aluminum dress is utilized and wherein it is put into the form of crush-resistant briquettes has gone on because something better was needed for commercialopen-hearth and electric steel and oxygen process steeland cupola ironfmaking operations. For there are various advantages in the, use of alumina as a fluxing agent in these metallurgical processes. ercises an importantinfiuence on the operation andv con- I trol of the oxide phase of; the final' slag. Asset outinthe Jas. J. Bowden Patent No. 2,283,622. the, time required for making the heat with attendantfeconomy of operation is achieved lay-securing in the tapping or drawn-off slag, the* pres ence of suflicient amount of alumina to replace orinhibit an excess ofiron oxide, (Fe o which otherwise would be present, in such slag in, the form of calcium ferrites;'these are converted to calcium alumina ferrites, there beinglime present inthe furnace charge.

Dry aluminum drossina finely divided condition presents several problems in gettingit into a durable, crush resistant, weather-resistant, briquette, not; adversely af;

fected by the passage of time, i.e. posses'singa reasonable 'life for a commerciall product before use. These are at- I atmosphere. These 'reactions-take place-under average particlestend to float in the air when these dry, finely subdivided fluxes are 'introduced as such into open hearth,- and electric and cupola and other furnaces employing an ox'd' ing gas, and because f such floating, contact and The problem of changing finely,divided materials more particularly dry, aluminum dross, into a physical condition.

of greater utilityas a metallurgical fluxing agent has been thev subject of;investigation for several years. Bowden and Suda devised a process, for which they obtained US."

Patent No., 2 ,48 0,901, onmtr eat ingv thisdkind, of. fflux mast.

terial by making it into a thin slurry using ll0 aqueous; solution of. an alkali hydroxide, water being presentin the proportion of .35 to 50%; by weight of the suitingv material. into. briquettes finder aopressnrem ofriOOd mam-00o: lbs-.perq- -lanidryi stthe;sametun en n1 v ttas e l rsbeaks'lwalls toms an bri kw k of said furnaces. v

l a result of the impact.

storage "conditions'in warehouses in winter months as well as summer months, asborne-out by disintegration of firm, hard briquettes formed-'from aluminum dross" admixed with oneof several organic-binders, including coalytar pitch,u'nder ordinarymanufacture-methods, When initially produced such briqnettescould be shov'elled, stirred around'and' poured from one container to another without breakingup in small pieces orfinely divided particles as But after; storage fora week or few weeks-underaverage warehouse conditions, the individual briquettes which had been laid upon a surface disintegrated' with accompanying lossof shape; there resulted'a pulverulent c o-ndition not alone on or nearptheir surfaces but throughout the entire massof each briquette; i

' Finely divided 'alurninumdrossis obtained in the=melt I ing ofmetallic aluminum in which an oxidation product is formed, and thenskirnming-thisfproduct-from the-melt. The product so skimmed is'called :dross. Another name for -is-,aluminum skimmings, Inthe skimming opera,- tion there is always sognemetallic aluminum which is lin.,- cidentally taken off The composition of aluminum dross will. dependuponflt'heskill of the p ra rr n l as t e elevated temperature. There are certain disadvantages temperature and atmosphere of the furnace andfthejqual ity-composition factor of the metallic body melted; Aluminumoxide. (Al 0 ).,is a major component by weight present injaluminum dross andl usually theymajor.

warehouse and transportation conditions encounteredin resistant and weather-resistant when initially produced,

but they maintain these characteristics for six weeks'up to at least a couple of months after date of manufacture without the addition of applied water-, air-impervious coatmg. These briquettes are not sticky and each is a separate, distinct unit. ing can be applied, but there is no necessity of doing this msofar as the durability as a firm, hard briquette is con 'cerned. The shelf life of these briquettes is excellent as pointed out without the expense of' an additional step of coating. These and various other features of the present invention will become apparent from reading the fuller disclosure which appears below. a

In accordance with the present invention dry, powdered aluminum dross, in which aluminum oxide is the major component by weight, is intimately mixed'with coal tar pitch or asphalt, which pitch or asphalt becomes or is maintained liquid during thisstep due to applied heat, thereafter cooled somewhat, whereupon the mixture is formed into briquettes and thereafter permitted to cool to room temperature. Or if a definite shape is not desired the pressure step to attain this is simply omitted, provided the amount of the pitch or asphalt is in an upper range.

The mixing must be thorough to insure that the individual particles of the aforesaid dross are coated or encased by pitch or asphalt to prevent contact of the separate dross particles in the finished product with the atmosphere. For unless the surface of the individual dross particles are sealed off from contact with the atmosphere, not only will solid reaction products be formed in the mass but volatile gases, including ammonia and methane will form, thereby causing disruption of the firm briquette structure. As stressed, supra, raw aluminum dross is composed of very finelv divided unit particles, as is borne out by the fact that if it is stirred vigorously or thrown with a shovel heavy dust formation results. Satisfactory coating of such small sized particles is dependent upon several factors. It is necessaryrto have an agitation of such a degree for such a period of time with the liouified pitch or asphalt that sufiicient time is afforded to envelop or seal oil the mass of dross particles from contact of the atmosphere with the particle surfaces. There is the factor of the proper fluidity of the coal tar pitch or asphalt during the heat mixing step, whereby a reduced viscosity is attained which enables the particles of inorganic, reactive aluminum dross to be effectively sealed oil from the atmosphere. The task of enveloping or coating finely divided materials is of a different order from that of pebbles or similar sized objects. Sizes, by screen mesh of some aluminum drosses which have been made into metallurgical fluxes are as follows:

A waterand air-impervious coat- To give an appreciation of the great surface area of small particle size as compared with the size of large sand to small gravel, whereby the importance of the mixing step in the treatment of aluminum dross can be presented in bold relief, attention is called to the fact that 1 cube of 1.0 mm. length of edge has 6 mm. total surface area, whereas cubes of 0.1 mm. length of edge made therefrom would total 1000 in number and have a total surface area of mrnF. 1

Because of the fine particle size of the aluminum dross substantially 10 to 30% of coal tar 'pitch based on the combined weight of the mixture is needed to satisfactorily bond these inorganic particles and so envelope them that the resulting briquettes will remain firm, durable and waterand crush-resistant over a period of several weeks and for not less than several months- The materials in the finished, cooled briquettes must remain strongly bonded; andenough of the coal tar pitch must have been used in the batch that the moisture and/or air cannot permeate the surface and underlying mass of the briquette. When such a lesser amount, as 6% of coal tar pitch is employed, the particles of aluminum dross will stick together after formation of the briquettes but the life of the briquettes is of short duration, such as approximately 7 to 20 days. This type flux product could not be shipped along hauls or kept on hand before use for several weeks Without more orless deterioration manifest by softening or even crumbling taking place in the structure of the briquettes. When 10 to 30% of the pitch is employed of the total weightof the mixture the resulting briquettes have a long span of life, such as 2 months or longer. With increase in the percentage of pitch to 20% the span of life is longer than at 10% pitch, where the comparison is made using the same pitch. When approximately 25 to 30% of pitch is employed the pressure step to form briquettes can be dispensed with and the heated mass cast to a predetermined shape. 'In any case, each particle of powder is completely coated or enveloped in the pitch. The term span of life or life mentioned above is determined by the following three tests. When the individual briquette is subjected to' the pressure applied by a mans fingers and hand it must not crumble. The next test is that such briquettes can be shovelled, poured, stirred without any significant fracturing. The third test is that they can even be dropped a distance two to six feet to the bare floor without breaking up to a significant extent into pieces having a major dimension below A; of aninch. i v

The melting point of the coal tar pitch which is the bonding agent employed should be above the highest atmospheric and storage condition temperatures experienced in any recent years. Thus the briquettes or bonded masses are an all-season utility product. As a margin of safety for unusually high temperatures it is desirable to have a pitch which remains solid at temperatures at least as high as 122 to 135 F. The pitch should not only be solid but also non-sticky in thatupper range which the briquettes or bonded masses could encounter. But its M.P. should be sutficiently low that it will fluid- Screen Scale #1 Sample #2 Sample #3 Sample #4 Sample #5 Sample #6 Sample Tyler Percent 0pm., Percent Cum., Percent Cum., Percent Cum, Percent 0pm., Percent Cum.. Mesh U. S. No. Between Percent Between Percent Between Percent Between Percent Between Percent Between Percent Sieves Slevcs Sieves Sieves Sieves Sieves 100 10.3 50.7 Y 10.0 58.2 9.4 45.3 10.8 46.0 11.0 46.7 11.3 47.7 150 6.2 55. 9 6.0 64.2 6. 6 51. 9 6. 4 52. 4 6. 7 53.4 7.0 54.7 200 200 a. 6 Y 65. 5 8.3 72. 5 10.6 62. 5 10. 1 ,62. 5 9. 6 63. 0 10.1 64.8 Pan Pen 34. 5 100. 0 27. 5 100. 0 37. 5 100. 0 37. 5 100. 0 37. 0 100. 0 35. 2 100. 0

Examination establishes that more than one-third of this material is finer than 200 mesh and as a consequence agreat deal of surface is exposed for a given weight.

I a There are several types of coal tar pitch meeting the M.P. qualifications stated above which have been found to be satisfactory. They are listed by manufacturers identification:

Type of pitch:

Powdered pitch 258-285 Carbon pitch 220-230 Carbon, pitch 200-220 Carbon pitch 159-177, Water-proofing pitch 140-155.

It is preferred to employ a pitch or asphaltof of 220-230 F. The chosen pitch may or may not be brittle at room temperatures. I 7

Aluminum dross is a poor heat conductor. For this reason it is preferred to pre-heat it to above theMf.P'. of. the pitch but not substantially above 700 F. before bringing it into contact with the pitch. For a pitch of M.P. 220-230 F. the pitch and the aluminum dross are heated to about 400 F. to 600 F. during the mixing step at which temperature the pitch has sufficient fluidity to coat or encase the particles of dross. The pitch can be melted before it is brought in contact with the dross. As brought out, supra, the degree of mixing must be and to 90 to 85% ofaluminum dross in a batch, which pitch'has an M.P. of ZOO-220 F., the period of mixing should be approximately one-half an hour. The time required could be as little as five minutes when the dross is heated'to the higher temperature range.

During kneading of the. mixture, of pitch with the aluminum dross, the mixer is heated in order to lessen the viscosity of the pitch and confer the necessary plasticity to the mass. This; can be accomplished by the introduction of super-heated steam into-the jacket of the mixer or by the employment of other means of heating, such as gas, oil or electricity. Pitch could be added as a solid to this mixer in which alternative it would be melted therein, but it is preferred to melt the pitch in a separate vessel, preheat the aluminum dross separately, then intimately mix the aforesaid components.

What is stated above as to percentage of coal tar pitch correlated with durability of the product, the meltingv point ranges, and the mixing operations is equally true as to asphalt.

After the mixing step the resulting mixture is cooled to about 200 F. then compressed into briquettes by a machine; pressures of LOGO-20,000 pounds per sq. in. can be employed. The briquettes are discharged from this machine and permitted to cool to room temperature.

The following specific examples are for the purpose of illustrating the present invention and of demonstrating the advantages thereof. It must be strictly understood that this invention is not to be limited to the particular grade or type of aluminum dross nor to the particular coal tar pitch or asphalt designated, nor to that Melting point,

thorough. I have found that using 10 to 15% of pitch of the operations and manipulations described in these specific examples. Variations may be used, as those skilled in the art will readily understand.

Example I Crushed and screened aluminum dross in the form of powder, from which metallic aluminum has been removed whereby it may contain as much as 10%, but preferably less of the free metal, is well mixed with coal tar pitch having an M.P. of 220-230 F. An amount of til-entertained" it; about 250:1100 15; The stirring fthdrougttdaring thisf s'tep and of a duration of half an hour. The mass is then cooled to about 200 F. and then delivered to the belt of'the briquette press and com pressed at a pressure of 6,000 lbs. or more per sq. in. into briquettes. Theywere then discharged from this machine and permitted to cool to room temperature.

The briquettes produced were firm, non-sticky and possessed a rather smooth surface; they could notjbe room exposed to the atmosphere for a period of 9 weeks! At theend of six weeks'the briquettes soaked in water J were removed", and dried by a cloth. They were subjected, to the same test as applied to the newly formed briquettes. No crumbling or fractures occurred. Each of th'e's bricks '(2 lots) was sep aratelydropped two feet distance to a concrete floor; they did not fracture. The results wer'e the same, establishing conclusively that for practical purposes these briquettes were very durable and were weatherand crush-resistant. The dropping test was purposely more severe as a standard than normal conditions encountered; namely rolling, pouring from bags and shovelling, But none of thesethree last tests applied' to these two lots of briquettes resulted in chipping, fracturing or even greater disintegration of these briquettes. V

' Example. 11

Crushed and screened aluminum dross powder from which metallic aluminum has been removed where it may contain. as much as 10% but preferably less of orefree rnetal is well mixed with coal tar pitch having a melting point. of 220-230 F. an amount of pitch; is used which is 3O of theltotal weight of the mixture"; The aluminum dross powder is heated to a temperature of 400 to 600. F;, a n dthoroughly-mixed with the pitch, which has; been separately heated; to 280 F. to ,liquefy it: The temperature during the kneading step is maintained at about 250-300 F. The stirring was thorough during this step and of a duration-of half an hour. The heated mixture was poured into molds which conferred a shape to the bonded mass. jected to the same tests as a run of the product of Example I and satisfactorily met them. It is not necessary, to press or'to mold this mixture in order to have it acquire crushand atmospheric-resistant properties. It could have simply been poured onto a horizontal con- ,crete floor and subsequently broken up into pieces, say

the approximate size of a baseball or half that size.

The uncoated metallurgical flux produced in accordance with the present invention has a much longer life when exposed to the air of wide humidity ranges and kept under various temperature ranges than uncoated fluxes made from the same powdered aluminum dross in the form of the same sized briquettes, and which fluxes utilized the same coal tar pitch or asphalt as binders but only in amounts of 56% by weight of the entire mixture, wherein the steps in the process are identical within commercial operating conditions.

The term dry in reference to means that it is free from water.

The term briquette is not to be construed as limited solely to a shape that is rectangular in cross section with aluminum dross length greater than width and depth, but includes cubes and spheres and other shapes regular or irregular of normally good strength based on configuration.

By the term crush-resistant in the claims and likewise in the specification unless otherwise qualified, is meant that thebriquette will not crumble under pressure of the fingers of a mans own hand, and will not break by trying to break apart in a manner that people conventionally This product was sub- 4 halve an apple, and can be thumped on a hard metal without fracture. By the term .,weather-resi stant" is meant thatthe 'briquette will. not soften, lose its shape nor become disintegratedinto a granular or powder condition upon standing in a room-or warehouse which is not artificially dried and whose temperature resulting from exposure to the natural elements is not reduced by a refrigeration system. v I

I claim as my invention:

1. A briquette which is suitable asa fluxing material for fluidizing slags in the manufacture of steel in the open hearth and electric furnaces, oxygen steel furnaces and iron cupolas, which briquette is hard,no n-sticky, and also weatherand crush-resistant, comprising dry, powdered aluminum dross which is mainly a mixture ofaluminum oxide, metallic aluminum, aluminum carbide and aluminum nitride, the aluminum oxidebeing the major component by weight, mixed with a member of the group consisting of coal tar pitch and asphalt that is solid and non-sticky at atmospheric temperatures, the particles of the said dross being enveloped by it, the said member of the group consisting of pitch and. asphalt being present in an amount of not less than substantially 10% and not over 30% by weight of the total weight of the briquette.

2. A briquette which is suitable as a fluxing material for fluidizing slags in the manufacture of steel in the open hearth and electric furnaces, oxygen steel furnaces and iron cupolas, which briquette is hard, non-sticky, and also weatherand crush-resistant, comprising dry, powdered aluminum dross which is mainly a' mixture of aluminum oxide, metallic aluminum, aluminum carbide and aluminum nitride, the aluminum oxide being the major component by weight, mixed with a member of the group consisting of coal tar pitch and asphalt that is solid and non-sticky at atmospheric temperatures and having a melting point of 122-230 F. the particlesof the said dross being enveloped by it, the said member of the group consisting of coal tar pitch and asphalt being present in an amount of not less than substantially 10% and not over 30% by weight of the total weightofthe briquette."

3. A briquette which is suitable as a fluxing material for fluidizing slags in the manufactureoi steel in 'the open hearth and electric furnaces, oxygen steel furnaces and iron cupolas, which briquette is hard, non-sticky, and also weatherand crushresistant, comprising dry, powdered aluminum dross which is mainly a mixture of aluminum oxide, metallic aluminum, aluminum carbide and aluminum nitride, the aluminum oxide being the major component by weight, mixed with a member of the group consisting of coal tar pitch and asphalt that is solid and non-sticky at atmospheric temperatures, and having a melting point within the range 159-285 F. the particles of the said dross being enveloped by it, the said member of the group consisting of coal tar pitch and asphalt being present in an amount of not less than substantially 10% and not over 30% by weight of the total weight of the briquettes 7 4. A briquette which is suitable as a fluxing material for fluidizing slags in the manufacture of steel in the open hearth and electric furnaces, oxygen steel'furnaces and iron cupolas, which briquette is hard, non-sticky, and also weatherand crush-resistant, comprising dry, powdered aluminum dross which is mainly a mixture of aluminum oxide, metallic aluminum, aluminum carbide and aluminum nitride, the aluminum oxide being the major component by weight, mixed with a member of the group consisting of coal tar pitch and asphalt that is solid and non-sticky at atmospheric temperatures, and having a melting point within the range of approximately 220- '230 F. the particles of the said dross being enveloped by it, the member of the group consisting of coal tar pitch and asphalt being present in an amount of not less than substantially 10% and not over 30% by weight of the total weight of the briquette.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain May 8, 1919 

1. A BRIQUETTE WHICH IS SUITABLE AS A FLUXING MATERIAL FOR FLUIDIZING SLAGS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STEEL IN THE OPEN HEARTH AND ELECTRIC FURNACES, OXYGEN STEEL FURNACES AND IRON CUPOLAS, WHICH BRIQUETTE IS HARD, NON-STICKY, AND ALSO WEATHER- AND CRUSH-RESISTANT, COMPRISING DRY, POWDERED ALUMINUM DROSS WHICH IS MAINLY A MIXTURE OF ALUMINUM OXIDE, METALLIC ALUMINUN, ALUMINUM CARBIDE AND ALUMINUM NITRIDE, THE ALUMINUM OXIDE BEING THE MAJOR COMPONENT BY WEIGHT, MIXED WITH A MEMBER OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF COAL TAR PITCH AND ASPHALT THAT IS SOLID AND NON-STICKY AT ATMOSPHERRIC TEMPERATURES, THE PARTICLES TO THE SAID DROSS BEING ENVELOPED BY IT, THE SAID MEMBER OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PITCH AND ASPHALT BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT OF NOT LESS THAN SUBSTANTIALLY 10% AND NOT OVER 30% BY WEIGHT OF THE TOTAL WEIGHT OF THE BRIQUETTE. 